Joe Biden affirms support for Israel

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vice President Joe Biden told Jewish groups on Sunday that the U.S. under the Obama administration remains a steadfast and unwavering ally to Israel.

Biden met for about an hour with Netanyahu to discuss the Mideast peace negotiations, a move seen as a possible sign of movement for the troubled diplomatic process between Israel and the Palestinians. The peace talks broke down in late September over renewed Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.

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Netanyahu, who spent part of his youth in America and attended high school in Cheltenham, Pa., was in New Orleans to speak Monday to the general assembly of the Jewish Federation of North America, which is meeting for three days.

In a speech that drew enthusiastic applause from the assembly, Biden repeatedly stressed that the Obama administration backs Israel.

He said the Obama White House "represents an unbroken chain in American leaders who have understood this critical strategic relationship" between the two countries.

"We will not yield a single inch," he said.

Biden did not detail what he and Netanyahu talked about. But he did said Netanyahu agreed that there was "no substitute for direct face-to-face negotiations leading eventually to states where two peoples are secure: A Jewish state and a viable, independent state of Palestine."

Readers' Comments (5)

On ABC's This Week today, Rand Paul said the Tea Party's main concern is the budget deficit and national debt. Although President Clinton's legacy to President Bush was a budget surplus, Bush destroyed this with massive war spending, leaving President Obama a budget deficit. The Tea Party movement is understandably concerned about our nation's fiscal security which is placed in jeopardy with all these costly unnecessary wars.

How would you feel if you were in a fistfight with another guy and the cop came over, suggested you stop fighting then praised the other guy and then handed him some brass knuckles? Would you trust the cop? This is the state of the negotiations between Israel and Palestine, with the US playing the role of cop.

The lack of balance in US policy on the Israel/Palestine issue is so blatant that it is becoming ridiculous. Over and over again we hear how the US loves and supports Israel. This ritual would be boring if it were not so aggravating. Yet we certainly never hear such support for the Palestinians. It is no wonder why the Palestinians do not trust the US to be an honest broker in the process.

Israel and its AIPAC lobby have overpowered our US politicians. Most behave like puppets - with Israel pulling the strings. In effect, Israel is using US power for its own purposes of colonization and ethnic cleansing. And we US citizens seem powerless to stop this exploitation of US power and the oppression of Palestinians.

Yes, many of the people in Israel are wonderful people who want peace. Yes, Israel must exist. Yes, it must have security. Yes. Yes. But so must Palestine. So must Palestine. The same is true of Palestine.

Open note to the Israeli government: I humbly beg you to please give us back our politicians and our country. We know that you feel you must use them for your own ends but we do not want the US to be a tool of Israel any longer. You are most powerful and mighty, so we must beseech you to stop damaging US interests by selfishly manipulating the US to fight your battles, send you weapons, protect you from international criticism and help pay for your colonies.

Israel sure loves to kick Biden in the teeth. When he went over there his reward was an announcement of more Jewish settlements in occupied Arab East Jerusalem, and ditto when he praises Netanyahu here.

V.P. Biden could add this : America never asks why evangelicals go after American Woman " Right to Choose " ( Roe v.Wade, 1973) but they never complain about Israeli woman that get , as part of their National Health Care Plan, abortion on demand , and paid for many years by them and the rest of the USA Taxpayers, and why the double standard ?

Why can Israeli woman get abortion on demand paid by USA Taxpayers ( they never worked in the USA ) , and evangelicals never say a word, but when USA woman demand their rights under the above Supreme Court decision, they attack and insult them ?

And to suggest that God likes some tribes of humans more than others, to suggest that God is a bit racist, that's a blasphemy than can only come from Satan.

P.Obama and VP.Biden must implement the 2 State solution with the locals , American Taxpayers have send at least 350 billion dollars to that part of the world and this land conflict is the root of most of the violence in the world right now , it's time for practical and peaceful solutions.